I'm an accomplished public speaker. Product presenter. Storyteller. Emcee. Motivational speeches. Trainer. Advocate. Actor. Etc.

Standing on stage, drawing the attention of the crowd, and engaging them in an idea, a story, a movement, whatever... that's a skill I have, and have had for a long time. It began as a natural talent, and then I realized that it was a blunt knife that could be sharpened. So I took classes. Improv. Voice acting. Story crafting, etc.

Then I went to work and practiced, practiced, practiced.

The real training ground for me was being a Ghost Tour guide through Seattle's Pike Place Market at night. Drunken revelers all around, homeless people begging for change, and the overall creepy atmosphere of the closed market at night... it all conspired against me, to draw my audience's attention away. So I had to work at EVERY aspect of my performance. My words. My voice. My body. WHERE I told a story. When I told a specific story. Whether I did the "gory" version, or the "spooky" version, or the "kid-friendly" version.

Nowadays, people know they can hand me a mic, give me 10 seconds of context, and I can hold the attention of any room. (Even without a mic, actually.)

I don't say this out of hubris, or self-aggrandizement, or anything like that. I had a natural talent for something, I learned how to control and channel that talent, and now I can put it to work. Like a woodworker does with a planer or a lathe or a chisel, I learned to use the tool and make stuff with it.

So the underlying structure and methods are all transparent to me. When I see a speaker on stage, I know why they moved their hand like this, and why they chose that wording, and where their eyes are looking, and how they feel about their talk and if it is working.

I realize very few people have this insight to a good talk, and don't know how to express a point to make a compelling argument. It gives me more patience with them.

Public speaking is not something everyone can do easily or effectively. So I think I have more compassion for those who know they suck, but are still so moved by their mission that they still overcome all the fear and doubt and talk. Afterwards, I try to share that with them, and give them thanks for having the passion to do what they did, despite it being scary and hard to do.